Archive for the ‘Tasting Notes’ Category
Wineblog Round-Up: Do Zins Improve With Age?
January 21st, 2010 by Tom Johnson
I’m a monster Zin man myself. I like my Zins big, unsubtle, full-frontal.
Still, there are those who argue that aging Zin has its merits. I don’t have a really well-informed opinion on this, though the other night I cracked open a bottle that was as close to an aged Zin as I have: a 1999 Ravenswood [...]
Tags: Zinfandel
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Rivola Sardon de Duero: For Now My Favorite $15 Wine
January 11th, 2010 by Tom Johnson
I go through phases. I get obsessed with a wine and drink it by the gallon before suddenly abandoning it.
Right now my phase is Rivola Sardon de Duero, a product of Abadia Retuerta, which started in 1996 with the mission of making modern Spanish wines for the world market. To that end, they restored an [...]
Tags: Spanish Wine, tastings
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It’s Good to Have Friends: ‘91 Cain Five
January 1st, 2010 by Tom Johnson
There is a saying among boaters that the only thing better than having a boat is having a friend with a boat. That’s because maintaining a boat is expensive and time-consuming. If your friend has a boat, you get to do all the cool weekend stuff with none of the mid-week drudgery and doling-out of [...]
Tags: Cabernet Sauvignon, tasting notes, wine
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Christmas Surprise: Virginia Wine
December 27th, 2009 by Tom Johnson
Non-wine-drinking in-laws from Virginia brought Virginia wine for Christmas dinner. Pardon my lack of enthusiasm. But: two bottles from Chateau Morrisette were memorably good.
The 2007 Cab had a nose conveniently recalling a wine term I just learned last week (here, see comments): aldehyde. Perhaps too conveniently; I decanted the wine for 40 minutes before dinner [...]
Tags: tasting notes, Virginia Wine, wine
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When Cork Taint Ain’t Taint at All
December 16th, 2009 by Tom Johnson
At last night’s wonderful Big Reds tasting at Westport Whiskey & Wine, one of the A-list wines on the agenda was Michael-David Rapture 2004. It’s a sleek Cabernet with a dense fruit core from Lodi, an unfashionable AVA better known for value than premium wines. Rapture was the first Lodi wine to crack the $50 [...]
Tags: tastings, wine
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Is There Such a Thing as a Quaffing Pinot?
December 8th, 2009 by Tom Johnson
I’m looking for a brooding Russian River Pinot Noir around $20. I’m doing this to round-out a writing project, and I’m doing it with full knowledge that Russian River Pinots tend not to brood. They tend to be, as one correspondent patiently explained, “pretty effusive, with a distinct soft silky texture.”
Still, I try. Tonight: La [...]
Tags: pinot noir, Sonoma, tasting notes, wine
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Last Night’s Wine This Morning: Gascón Malbec 2008
December 3rd, 2009 by Tom Johnson
Gascón is a Mendoza, Argentina, winery that traces its roots back to 1884. In 1993 it was bought by Catena, the sprawling family empire that has done as much as anyone else to spread the Gospel of Malbec.
The wine is dark purple, almost black. The nose has a little heat from alcohol (13.9%) and a [...]
Tags: Malbec, tasting notes, wine
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The Prisoner 2008
October 30th, 2009 by Tom Johnson
At Westport Whiskey & Wine, a sneak preview of Orin Swift’s The Prisoner, 2008 vintage, due to be released in a few weeks. It’s a cool thing that this sneak came our way, a real treat.
The Prisoner is an oddball mix of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Charbono and Grenache. It’s brilliantly branded and [...]
Tags: Retail, tasting notes, tastings, wine
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Mourvèdre by Any Other Name
October 14th, 2009 by Tom Johnson
In France, Mourvèdre is a dancing hippo of a wine, a big-boned beauty dressed in tutu and toe shoes. Mourvèdre gives presence to Chateauneuf-du-Pape and provides the critical low harmony in the ubiquitous GSM trio. It’s the whole game in the appellation I think of as my very own, Bandol.
In California, Mourvèdre is a freak [...]
Tags: Mourvedre, Spain, wine, wine collecting
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Storybook Mountain Tasting Notes
October 7th, 2009 by Tom Johnson
Three Storybook Mountain wines tasted:
Mayacamus Range Zinfandel 2007 ($40) — Dark garnet. Strawberry, cherry, plum nose. Lots of berry on the palate building to a long finish. Medium acidity, medium tannins, sharply focused.
Eastern Exposure Zinfandel 2006 ($53) — This is actually a blend of Zin and 6% Viognier, and it makes a nice wine. Dark [...]
Tags: Storybook Mountain, tastings
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